scholarly journals A novel wastewater-based epidemiology indexing method predicts SARS-CoV-2 disease prevalence across treatment facilities in metropolitan and regional populations

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Melvin ◽  
Emily N. Hendrickson ◽  
Nabiha Chaudhry ◽  
Onimitein Georgewill ◽  
Rebecca Freese ◽  
...  

AbstractThere is a need for wastewater based epidemiological (WBE) methods that integrate multiple, variously sized surveillance sites across geographic areas. We developed a novel indexing method, Melvin’s Index, that provides a normalized and standardized metric of wastewater pathogen load for qPCR assays that is resilient to surveillance site variation. To demonstrate the utility of Melvin’s Index, we used qRT-PCR to measure SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA levels in influent wastewater from 19 municipal wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF’s) of varying sizes and served populations across the state of Minnesota during the Summer of 2020. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected at each WWTF during the 20-week sampling period at a mean concentration of 8.5 × 104 genome copies/L (range 3.2 × 102–1.2 × 109 genome copies/L). Lag analysis of trends in Melvin’s Index values and clinical COVID-19 cases showed that increases in indexed wastewater SARS-CoV-2 levels precede new clinical cases by 15–17 days at the statewide level and by up to 25 days at the regional/county level. Melvin’s Index is a reliable WBE method and can be applied to both WWTFs that serve a wide range of population sizes and to large regions that are served by multiple WWTFs.

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 77-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.R. Johnson ◽  
Y. Shang

The ADM 1 model has been implemented in a steady-state whole wastewater plant simulator. The ADM 1 model has been in use with good success for approximately 2 years on a wide range of wastewater treatment facilities. However, a number of modifications were necessary to allow it to be used in the context of municipal wastewater treatment. It was found that the model's use was greatly simplified if used in conjunction with a larger plant simulator to assist in the feed fractionation. It was also found that a better fit to actual operating data was achieved if some of the slowly biodegradable particulate fraction was partitioned into ADM particulate fractions other than the composite fraction. Another significant limitation of the model is in the absence of phosphorus modeling. The ADM model needs to have phosphorus handling for all the relevant fractions, and needs to include the handling of inorganic reactions such as struvite precipitation and metal phosphate/metal hydroxide precipitation. Activity effects on chemical equilibria are significant when considering phosphorus. Also of importance in wastewater treatment is the fate of sulfur compounds. This includes the generation of H2S in the digester gas and the fate of the sulfur species in the digested sludge (as a predictor of odour-generating potential).


2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 321-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gallenkemper ◽  
T. Wintgens ◽  
T. Melin

Endocrine disrupting compounds can affect the hormone system in organisms. A wide range of endocrine disrupters were found in sewage and effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants. Toxicological evaluations indicate that conventional wastewater treatment plants are not able to remove these substances sufficiently before disposing effluent into the environment. Membrane technology, which is proving to be an effective barrier to these substances, is the subject of this research. Nanofiltration provides high quality permeates in water and wastewater treatment. Eleven different nanofiltration membranes were tested in the laboratory set-up. The observed retention for nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA) ranged between 70% and 100%. The contact angle is an indicator for the hydrophobicity of a membrane, whose influence on the permeability and retention of NP was evident. The retention of BPA was found to be inversely proportional to the membrane permeability.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 (3) ◽  
pp. 328-349
Author(s):  
Ernest R. Blatchley ◽  
ShihChi Weng ◽  
Mehrnaz Zare Afifi ◽  
Hsiao-Han Chiu ◽  
Douglas B. Reichlin ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Ю.А. Егорова ◽  
В.И. Кичигин ◽  
О.И. Нестеренко ◽  
А.А. Юдин

Осадки городских очистных канализационных сооружений являются самым массовым технологическим отходом, создающим проблемы утилизации для любого города. Рассмотрены возможные методы обработки осадков сточных вод на городских очистных канализационных сооружениях городского округа Самара с целью их последующей утилизации. Обозначены причины и приведены документальные подтверждениянекорректности возложения ответственности за обращение с такими отходами только на организации водопроводно-канализационного хозяйства. Рассмотрен способ захоронения обезвоженного осадка сточных вод в обвалованном полигоне. Установлено, что обработанные на очистных сооружениях осадки относятся к V классу опасности для окружающей среды. Обработанные, стабилизированные, подсушенные, обезвреженные отходы осадков сточных вод (малоопасный осадок с песколовок при очистке хозяйственно-бытовых и смешанных сточных вод, практически не опасный осадок с песколовок при очистке хозяйственно-бытовых и смешанных сточных вод и избыточный ил биологических очистных сооружений в смеси с сырым осадком) могут быть использованы в качестве наполнителей бетонно-цементных смесей и органоминеральных удобрений или переданы для утилизации сторонним организациям. Sludge from the municipal wastewater treatment facilities is the most massive technological waste that causes trouble for any city. Possible methods of wastewater sludge treatment at the municipal wastewater treatment facilities of the Samara Urban District with the purpose of its further utilization are considered. The reasons are indicated and documentary evidence of the incorrectness of assigning the responsibility for processing such wastes only to the water and wastewater utilities is provided. The method of landfilling dewatered wastewater sludge in a ridged landfill is considered. It has been established that the sludge processed at the wastewater treatment facilities is referred to the V class of environmental hazard. Sludge subjected to the treatment, stabilization, drying and neutralization (low hazardous sludge from grit chambers for domestic and mixed wastewater treatment; almost non-hazardous sludge from grit chambers for domestic and mixed wastewater treatment and excess sludge from biological treatment facilities mixed with raw sludge) can be used as fillers for concrete-cement mixtures and organo-mineral fertilizers or transferred for disposal to outside companies.


2007 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 286-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lieven Wittebolle ◽  
Han Vervaeren ◽  
Willy Verstraete ◽  
Nico Boon

ABSTRACT A sequential batch reactor (SBR) and a membrane bioreactor (MBR) were inoculated with the same sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant, supplemented with ammonium, and operated in parallel for 84 days. It was investigated whether the functional stability of the nitrification process corresponded with a static ammonia-oxidizing bacterial (AOB) community. The SBR provided complete nitrification during nearly the whole experimental run, whereas the MBR showed a buildup of 0 to 2 mg nitrite-N liter−1 from day 45 until day 84. Based on the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiles, two novel approaches were introduced to characterize and quantify the community dynamics and interspecies abundance ratios: (i) the rate of change [Δ t (week)] parameter and (ii) the Pareto-Lorenz curve distribution pattern. During the whole sampling period, it was observed that neither of the reactor types maintained a static microbial community and that the SBR evolved more gradually than the MBR, particularly with respect to AOB (i.e., average weekly community changes of 12.6% ± 5.2% for the SBR and 24.6% ± 14.3% for the MBR). Based on the Pareto-Lorenz curves, it was observed that only a small group of AOB species played a numerically dominant role in the nitritation of both reactors, and this was true especially for the MBR. The remaining less dominant species were speculated to constitute a reserve of AOB which can proliferate to replace the dominant species. The value of these parameters in terms of tools to assist the operation of activated-sludge systems is discussed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document